Injustice: Gods Among Us

Description

Injustice: Gods Among Us brings a high-profile, modern fighting game to the Wii U, a console often criticised for its lack of ‘hardcore’ third-party support. The game takes place in an alternate reality within the DC Multiverse, triggered by a catastrophic deception. The Joker manipulates Superman into killing Lois Lane and destroying Metropolis. Driven by grief, Superman establishes a totalitarian global government.

The gameplay experience on the Wii U is technically impressive, maintaining a rock-solid 60 frames per second at 720p resolution, which is non-negotiable for a competitive fighter. The experience is defined by its interactive environments, where characters can smash opponents through walls or use background objects as weapons. On the Wii U, this is supplemented by the GamePad, which offers two distinct modes: it can either mirror the main screen for “Off-TV Play” or act as a persistent Move List. Critics noted that while the Move List was a handy reference, the Wii U Pro Controller was almost a mandatory purchase for serious play, as the bulky GamePad was often seen as too cumbersome for the precise, high-speed inputs required for complex combos.

The game’s arrival was initially met with a mix of excitement and scepticism. Critically, the game was praised for its deep combat system and its surprisingly compelling “What If?” narrative, which saw a corrupted Superman establishing a global dictatorship. However, public sentiment was quickly dampened by the realisation that the Wii U version would miss out on the cross-platform “Injustice Mobile” unlocks: a key feature on other consoles that left Nintendo players feeling like second-class citizens. The Wii U version suffered from a fragmented release of DLC content, which became a major point of contention in the community. While the base game was feature-complete, the “Season Pass” and additional characters like Lobo and Batgirl arrived on the eShop significantly later than on PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. This delay, combined with a smaller online player base, led to a public perception that the Wii U version was an isolated version of the game. Despite this, it is highly notable the game’s visual fidelity is largely on par with its contemporaries, effectively utilising the Wii U’s hardware to render the dark, gritty textures of the DC Universe without the major compromises.